John Obi Mikel burst into referees changing room and tried to assault him…
Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel burst into referee Mark Clattenberg’s dressing room last season, and threatened to break his legs, before trying to punch him, reports the Sun.
Fellow Premier League official Mark Halsey has claimed Mikel was so angry following an unsavoury incident in Chelsea’s clash with Manchester United last October, he physically threatened the match referee after the game.
Clatternberg was reported by Chelsea for apparently using racist language, but the charges were later dropped after no evidence against the referee was found. It is now widely accepted that Chelsea’s claims were unfounded – and now the referees have hit back in the press.
Halsey also claims that Mikel tried to throw a punch, but was held back by his then Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo.
The referees nearly went on strike at the poor treatment and lack of proper apology Clattenberg received. Mikel was banned for three matches and fined £60,000, although the incident has been largely forgotten until now.
We can expect Mikel to now be further vilified by opposition fans – and it will be interesting to see whether Chelsea as a club or Mikel as a player choose to counter the allegations.
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